Sword Art Online: Fuukaren
by Massuser
Summary: Kirito beat SAO, but how would it have been different if he had formed a guild with several beta testers from the beginning? Would Sachi have still died? Would Asuna and Kirito still end up together? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello to all my loyal followers, no, I have not died. Here is my first attempt at an Anime, so follow along, and let's hope I don't fade again.**

 **Ps: sadly, I am writing from a phone, and using my breaks at work to write, so updates will be far between. I am also still working on ch.2 for my ME fanfic, so sorry for all the delays.**

Kirito sat in front of his computer, thumbing threw the pages of his magazine. In the background, news reports of the new game, Sword Art Online, was streaming live. "Onii-Chan, I'm off to practice." His sister, no, cousin shouted. Kirito cringed at the fact that his once little sister was really his cousin. He glanced at the clock on his computer screen, and grinned. It was 12:58, and time to get his Nervegear helmet on.

Kirito layed down, and watched the HUD clock count towards 13:00. When the digital number finally changed, he, along with almost 10,000 others uttered those fateful words that would change their lives forever. "Link Start!" When the rainbow of color and sense alignment had ended, a screen popped up. 'You have a character presaved from the beta test, would you like to load this character?' He mulled over the choice for a few seconds, before deciding to use his beta character. 'Beta Character Kirito accepted. Loading you into Sword Art Online now.'

Suddenly, he was in a Plaza, staring at the familiar town square. He glanced around before his face broke into a smile. He was back in starting town, and he was back in SAO. He glanced at all of the spawning players, and then ran towards the west. He turned down an alley, taking a known shortcut to the outskirts where he could start grinding, when a voice called out. "Hey, you there!" Kirito stopped, and glanced behind him. A guy with long pink hair was bent over a little behind him, panting to catch his breath. "Hey, you... you were a beta tester, right? I just started this game, mind teaching me the basics?" Kirito just stared, wondering. "I'm begging you! The names Klein, nice to meet'cha." Kirito sighed, this was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Feel the motion, Klein. Don't just try and aimlessly swing." Kirito chuckled as Klein was hit again by the boar. "I'm trying Kirito-sensei, but I cant time it right to save my life." Kirito laughed, and picked up a stone off the ground. "The starting move is key, watch." He held the stone behind his head for a couple seconds, until the Azure glow brightened, and Kirito flicked his wrist forward, sending the stone right into the Boars ass. As the boar turned, enraged by the damage it had just taken, Kirito drew his sword. "Get the first motion right, and activate the sword skill. The system will compensate for you and ensure a hit. Klein stared at his blade. "Ensure a hit..." Kirito blocked the boars charge, and pushed it back, before leading it around to charge at Klein. Klein assumed the starting stance, and his blade glowed Green. When the boar was 10ft away, Klein lowered his blade, and charged.

* * *

"It's breathtaking. I may need to play more often." Kirito stared at Klein, and chuckled to himself. "First time doing a dive then, huh?" Klein laughed at this. "Is it that obvious?" Kirito just stared at the sunset. "Not entirely. Not all Full-Dive games are like this. Kayaba was the inventor of the Nervegear, so it makes sense that the creator would know how to use it to get the best experience. That being said, SAO is something different. It provides more data input then any other game out there to date. In essence, Kayabe created the closest we will get to real life in a video game." Kirito stood, and stretched. "Ready to continue hunting?" Klein grinned "I would love to... is what I would like to say." Kleins stomach growled. "But I have a pizza coming in 5 minutes, so i'm going to log out and eat. Rejoin when i'm done?" Kirito glanced at the sunset. "Maybe tomorrow, I think that I want to just wonder for a while." Klein stood, and opened his menu. "Sounds good. See you later." Kirito smiled, and tunred back towards Starting Town. "Huh, thats weird." Kirito glanced at Klein. "What is it?" Klein had a puzzled look on his face. "There is no Logout button." [ _Gong, Gong, Gong, Gong,]_

* * *

 **AN: First chapter is done. Its not the longest, but I promise, since the updates will be far between, I will make them longer. As I said, using my breaks at work at my few awake moments at home to write this, so its slow going on a phone. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey all, here is chapter 2, and a semi long Authors rant at the end.

(Gong, Gong, Gong,)  
At the sound of the bell, Kirito turned towards the town, only to find himself in the starting plaza. As he kept glancing around, he noticed that people were porting in all over. Klein appeared next to him. "What happened? Is this part of the opening ceremonies?" Kirito shook his head. "Look." He then pointed to a hexagon that read 'Warning' "That blinking red likely means system announcement. Probably about the lack of a logout button." As he finished, the blinking red hexagon started to spread, covering the entire sky with system warning alerts. A red goo started dripping from the panels. Eventually, the goo took shape of a humanoid in flowing red robes.

"Attention Players. Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and I am the only one able to control this world. I'm sure many of you have noticed that the logout button in the main menu has been removed. This was intentional and a feature of the true Sword Art Online. The only way to logout, will be to complete all 100 floors of the game, and defeat the final boss at the top of Aincard. Be warned, should anyone in the real world remove your nerve gear, your brain will be fried using a powerful burst of microwave radiation, emitted from the transmitter in the Nervegear itself, killing you. This has already happened, and so, 587 player have logged out of this world, and the real one. From this point on, all methods of revival have been removed, and death in game, will result in your permanent demise. If your HP hits zero, the Nervegear will also fry your brain. Lastly, there is a gift in your inventory. Please equip it now."  
All players immediately opened their inventories, hoping for relief from the nightmare. As one, every player shone with a bright light, changing all appearances to that of their actual form. Klein and Kirito stared at each other for a moment, before turning back-to-back, watching all players for any that showed aggression. "As I'm sure you have guessed, the Nervegear used a high-density scanner to estimate your facial features, and the setup determined your height. Your real body is now your Sword Art Online body. Your preparation is complete. This ends the SAO tutorial. Good luck."

Following this announcement, Kayaba faded to nothing, and the sky returned to the orange sunset it was before the message. Kirito looked around, and noticed several others doing the same. One, an African American looked at Kirito, and mouthed "Angora?" Kirito glanced around once more time, before nodding. At once, everyone started shouting at the sky, as the beta testers, and those few smart enough to follow, extracted themselves from the crowd before running off. Kirito, dragging Klein with him, followed suit, sprinting for the city gates as fast as possible. Kirito pulled Klein into a side alley. "Listen carefully, all of the beta testers are meeting in Angora, hopefully to discuss strategy. You should come too." Klein looked at Kirito, before glancing back at the plaza. "I can't, I have friends in the Plaza. I can't abandon them." Kirito thought for a few seconds, before nodding. "Quickly, let's get them, and head for Angora." Klein smiled, and nodded, before the two new friends ran off, heading towards the plaza, and finally, Angora.

* * *

November 8, 2022: Angora, First Floor.

Hundreds of players gathered in the small town of Angora. Kirito, Klein, and a couple of friends partied together, sat in the town square waiting for something to happen. One of the members, Chong, leaned over. "Klein, Kirito, what's going on here?" Kirito looked over, before staring back at the crowd. "I don't know, what I do know is that someone told all of the betas to gather here, so we gathered." Chong leaned back, and sighed. Klein stood, and started strolling through the crowd, making nice and looking for anyone who was taking charge. Finally, a player with blue hair stood. "Everyone, listen up. Break into parties of 6, and then elect a leader. And solos come as well. We will begin talks then." Kirito looked at their party roster and noted that they were full, and Klein wasn't there. "Guy's listen, I'm going to go solo. Klein is your friend, and deserves to be with you. I'm more solo anyway." Chong glanced at the roster, before nodding. "Be safe." Those two words meant more to Kirito then anything else could have. He nodded, before running off towards the meeting point.

* * *

The meeting point was an old amphitheater just off the town square. Kirito arrived, and took a seat. The blue haired player from earlier stood up front, and leaned on his sword. As the party leaders and other solo players arrived, he smiled. "Attention everyone. This meeting represents the players best suited to beating this game, at least initially. We need to decide how we are going to do it. Also, we need to decide how much we are going to help the new players as well. The main argument would be that by us focusing on the bosses, we can beat the game faster. However, more people means less casualties. We vote now on how to proceed. Agreeing means we should help the newbies, disagreeing means we shoulder all of it." Agil message appeared in all of the leaders menues. After a few tense moments, the votes rolled in. "Alright, 124 were in favor of helping, and 118 were against. So initially, we will assist how we can. You also should keep an eye out for the boss room. I have sent all of you a friend invite. Please accept so I can message all of you when we find the door." He stared at the gathered players for a while. "That's it everyone. Go back to your parties and relay the news. I'll see you all soon." Kirito glanced around, noticing everyone else standing at moving out, except a solo player in a red hood. As he watched, the player stood, and walked out. Kirito then glance back at the leader, only to notice the blue haired man was staring back. The two players stared at each other, before the player said one word. "Diabel." He then proceeded to walk out of the amphitheater, heading out towards the city.

* * *

This chapter is some canon, which will continue until the fight with Illfang. This will be setup for the guild, as well as establishing a couple of OC for later use. After Illfang, AU will probably come in force. Current plan is to keep it semi canon until the Cats come in to play, or the episode Red Rose Reindeer. There will be deviant chapters where nothing is canon but the names. I hit some of the major episode points, like Kirito napping in the grass, as that episode had a lot of character development for Asuna. Others may change, like the entire cats guild getting killed. Let me know what you think, and submit some ideas for OC. Best 3 will make it into the story. Finally, the possibility of a beta guild will be established early on, but may or may not come to fruition, and Kirito may or may not be apart of this guild.


	3. Chapter 3

October 28th, 2022: first floor

Kirito woke up at 9am, as had been the norm for the past two months. He glanced outside, noticing how crowded the city had become over the past few days. Thousands of players had gotten over their fears and started leaving the city in mass. Now, every city on the first floor had people on it. As Kirito watched the city square, a heavenly smell coming from the kitchen. With a start, he remembered the events of that night.

* * *

 ** _Flashback_**  
That night, Kirito was sitting on a ledge, just listening to the chatter from the nearby plaza. "Is this spot taken?" Kirito glanced up, and saw the solo player from earlier. He froze, as a girl with golden eyes stared back. Finally, he shook his head as she sat down next to him. She pulled out a loaf of awen bread, and started nibbling on it. Kirito watched for a moment, before sighing, and getting a loaf out himself, along with a jar.  
"Here, put this on the bread."  
The girl stared for a moment, before tapping the jar. A glowing orb surrounded her finger, and she proceeded to draw a line of cream down her bread. After tentatively trying a bite, she wolfed down the whole loaf, shuttering at the taste. She looked up, and saw Kirito shaking in silent laughter. Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from the back of Kirito's head, and he choked on the bread that was in his mouth. When he could finally breath again, and swallowed, the only thing he could hear was laughter. He glanced over at the girl, and saw her hood pulled back, and her face alight. Kirito smiled, before reaching his hand out. "I'm Kirito." She took his hand, smile still on her face. "Asuna." Kirito took a bite of his loaf, watching the players in the plaza interacting. "Kirito, if you dont mind, why are you a solo player? Obviously you are at least semi skilled to have made it this far. And there is a limit for solo players." Kirito's smile fell, and he put his hands in his lap. "I dont want to be responsible for other people, only to have them die. If someone dies to protect me, I couldnt live with myself." Asuna watched, guessing there was more to the story. "In starting town, it is very difficult for someone to die. You have to intentionally go somewhere in the sewers, or jump off the edge. Out here, you are one mistake from getting you or someone in your party killed. I don't want someone to die because of my weakness." Asuna just stared. Kirito looked over, noticing the look on her face. { _Ya know, she is rather cute when she is upset.} "_ Well, then I will party with you." Kirito, shook his head, certain he had misheard her. "Wait what? Why would you want to party with me?" Asuna chuckled as she opened up the party menu, and sending Kirito a party request. "Because I dont want you to die. You are the first person to show any sort of kindness to me. And as you said, I am good enough to make it here, so I am good enough to not die along side you." Kirito stared, before taking another bite of his bread. His head was suddenly thrown forward as a pain erupted from the back. He glared at Asuna, as she had a very innocent look. "Fine, but dont blame me if this doesnt work out and one of us dies." He clicked the accept icon, before glaring at Asuna. "There, happy." She smiled brightly at him. "Yes. Now, lets go find an inn to sleep in."  
 ** _End Flashback_**

* * *

Kirito turned, and walked out of his room. Asuna was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast.  
"Morning Kirito-kun. I was just about to come and wake you. Breakfast is almost ready."  
Kirito's mouth watered at the thought.  
"Asuna, you are the best cook in Aincard."  
Asuna blushed. "Thank you, Kirito-kun. So, what are we going to do today?"  
Kirito rubbed his chin. "Well, we haven't bought anything new to help us out." He pulled up his in game menu, and checked his stats.  
 _Level: 18_  
 _Col: 32,756_  
 _Skill points:5_  
Kirito cringed, before bowing his head, and uttering the words no man should say to a girl. "Asuna, how about a shopping trip?" Asuna stared at him like he grew a second head. "Don't joke about shopping Kirito-kun." Looking over at her, he smiled. "I wasn't. We should probably get some new weapons and armor, and maybe some clothes as well."

Asuna watched his face for a few minutes, before shouting with glee. "Alright, we can go after breakfast." Kirito nodded. "After shopping, maybe we could grind in one of the dungeons that hasn't been cleared yet." Asuna thought it over. "That sounds like a good idea. We may even find the boss room." Kirito stared at the wall for a moment. "Your right." He pulled out his map, and looked to see which dungeons weren't cleared. "It looks like we have a dungeon on the far side of the map, as well as one that is back near starting town. Which would you rather head in to?" Asuna looked over Kirito's shoulder, resting her chin next to his neck. "How about we go shop in Starting Town, then hit the dungeon that is near there? Save us the distance?" Kirito nodded. "Let's do it."

 **AN: _Hey all, here is chapter 3. Sorry if this seems, subpar in anyway. This was a very hard chapter to right. Dont worry, the next one will hopefully be longer, as the idea of the beta guild will be introduced, as well as the strategy meeting and the fight with Illfang. Also, I read a really good Kirito/Harem FanFic, called the Prince of Swords by ToumaFF. I recommend you read and review, or R &R (ha, punny.) the work. Anyway, I have a question for all of you. Would you rather I keep trying for the weekly updates, but only at around 1,000 words, or take some time between them, and release longer writings? Let me know in review, and thank you for reading._**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: _Here is chapter 4. There is some fluff in this chapter, so be warned. I will try my hand at writing combat towards the end, as the future of SAO is decided by the most unlikely of people._**

* * *

"Kirito-kun, which looks better on me? The pink one, or the green one?" Kirito looked up from his menu, and forgot how to breathe. His eyes couldn't leave Asuna's body, which was clad in only a bikini. Asuna blushed as she saw what Kirito was staring at. "Hey, my eyes are up here." Kirito jumped slightly, blushing beet red. "U-um, I like the pink one more." He said, stuttering slightly as he took in the beauty before him. Asuna smiled, before turning back into the changing room. Kirito stood, and as soon as the blushing was gone, he walked out of the clothing shop, taking a look at the shopping district of Starting Town. He saw shops ranging from small armor-smiths all the way to 5-star dining restaurants. His eyes settled on a blacksmith with pink hair. He walked over, noting the smock he was wearing, along with the apron that covered the front. As he approached, he saw that the blacksmith was actually not a he, but a she, and she was sharpening a sword. "Hello" The blacksmith completely ignored him. Instead, she checked the sword, noting the attributes. "Too shoddy." She said, before putting it away in her inventory. Finally, she looked up, and took in the player before her. Tall, black shirt and pants, and an Iron sword on his back. "Hi there. what can I do for you today?" Kirito looked at the sword she had just crafted. "I am looking for a long-sword, and if the price is right, a Rapier as well. What do you have?" The blacksmith stared at him for a moment, almost as if she were sizing him up. Finally, she sighed. "I have the long-sword I just finished. It only does 86 dps now, but can be upgraded 12 times. I also have a couple rapiers, but i don't think you can afford them." She smiled smugly as she said this. Kirito looked thoughtful, before a wicked grin split his face. "Fine, if I cant afford them, you get 10% of all my drops forever, but if i can afford them, you must be my personal blacksmith if I form a guild. Deal?" The blacksmith's smile dropped for a second, before it returned, and she stuck out her hand. "Deal. The long-sword is only 900 Col, but the rapier, as its a personal creation, will be 2,500 Col." Kirito's jaw dropped at those prices. "2,500 for a rapier?! That's almost as much as a bunch of starting armor." The smile on the blacksmith's face grew only larger, until Kirito opened his menu. Her face dropped when a bag of coins appeared in his hand. She nearly dropped the bag at the weight. She set the bag on her anvil, and proceeded to count out the Col. "Umm, this is 3,600 Col." Kirito smiled. "I will call on you in the future, miss...?" The blacksmith smiled. "My name is Lisbeth, and I will wait for your call."

* * *

As Kirito was walking back to the shop, he noticed a player standing in the alleyway, just watching him. As he turned to face the stalker, a message icon appeared. As he tapped the icon, a message from popped up. /To all players interested in clearing the first floor, there will be a meeting in the amphitheater tomorrow at 1400. Be there if you want to help, as we will have the first informational meeting then. Diabel\ Kirito first worried about the lack of beta testers being mentioned. As he pondered this, he looked back towards the alley, only to see that the mysterious figure had vanished. He walked over to the alley, and activated his tracer skill, looking for any footprints. Not finding any, he gave up on the crook, and proceeded to walk back to the apparel store, and the waiting Asuna.

Asuna was looking through her inventory, changing her apparel over to the new skirt she bought. As she looked at herself in a nearby fountain, she wondered what Kirito would think of her new look. As she was staring into the fountain, thoughts of her family, and sadly, of Suguo. Suguo was the man her parents were pushing her to marry. To them, he was a loyal employee in her fathers company, and a suitable match due to his standing in society. To her, however, he was a detestable lowlife who did nothing but ogle her every chance he had. Every since she was locked in her house, and he used the opportunity to sniff her hair while she was asleep. She had hated the man, and did her best to oust him at every turn. In a way, Sword Art Online was a good thing as it let her get away from that parasite. Although, she did worry what he may do to her unconscious form while she was away. A tear fell as she thought about being forced to return to that man.

Kirito stood watching her as she sat by the pool. At first, he was simply stunned by how good she looked, but as he stood there, he noticed a tear fall into the fountain. As he stood, Asuna started to shake as more tears fell into the pool. Kirito finally walked over, and sat behind her, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Asuna. You will get out of this game, I promise." Asuna turned into him, resting her head on his chest, as she continued to cry out all of the stress of the past few nights. "Come on, lets at least go back to the inn. Can you make it there?" Asuna looked up, and saw nothing but care and concern in the eyes of the boy she had known for less then 3 months. She nodded, standing, and taking his hand as they walked back to the inn that they were starting to call home.

* * *

Kirito started to awake the next day, as the tingling in his arm became unbearable. He opened his eyes, only to find himself blinded by sunlight. As he tried to move, he felt something holding down his arm. At first, he simply thought he fell asleep on his arm again. So he was surprised when he reached over, and encountered something soft and warm. Slowly, he finally forced his eyes open, he couldn't see anything due to the brightness of the new day. When he finally looked down at his sleeping arm, he was surprised to find Asuna laying onto it, her head nestled into his shoulder. Suddenly, all of the memories from the previous night came crashing back. From finding her sittingby the fountain, to holding her as she cried herself to sleep. He watched as her mouth made a small o as she slept. { _When did I start to care for this random girl}_ Kirito thought to himself. Slowly, he carefully extracted himself from the sleeping girl, laying his coat back over her. She pulled the coat closer, as a smile seemed to light up her face as she slept. After standing there for a moment, Kirito walked into the kitchen, intent on finding something to eat. He finally decided on making pancakes and eggs, both as a thank you for all the cooking, and as a way to hopefully cheer Asuna up after the fiasco that was last night.

A loud yelp woke Asuna up. She jumped off of the couch, the coat falling to the ground as she grasped for a weapon that wasn't there. She glanced towards the kitchen, and the location of the yelp. Only, when she did, instead of seeing a mob, she saw Kirito without eyebrows and a soot stained face. Her face went from stern and serious to dying of laughter in record time. Kirito, on the other hand, was blushing profusely at the loss of his eyebrows, and at the abysmal failure his pancakes had become. When she could breathe again, Asuna stood, and walked into the kitchen. "You need to learn to cook Kirito-kun." Kirito put on his lopsided grin, something he knew made Asuna blush without fail. "But if I cooked, what would you do, Asuna-tan?" Both the smile and his words made Asuna blush. Once her blush had subsided, Asuna shooed Kirito out of the kitchen, and started on some breakfast. "By the way Asuna, how did you sleep?" She glanced up, meeting his eyes, before she returned to watching the pancakes, her blush returning in full force. "Thank you, for last night." At this, Kirito froze, watching her as she stood there. "I was remembering my family, and someone I hate. Staying here seems like a vacation from _Him_ and I was glad that this game happened. So much so that I immediately felt bad because I was happy about the possibility of death, of never having to go back there." At this revelation, Kirito thought back to his family, and wondered what Sugu was doing right now...

* * *

 **Real World**

 **Kiriguya Hospital Room**

 **October 29th, 2022**

* * *

Sugu sat in the hospital chair, watching her Onii-chan as he layed in the bed, dead to the world. Twice now, she had almost tried to take the Nervegear off of his head, only to be reminded that doing ensured his death. She sat, and she thought. { _Did Onii-chan know? Or did mom only tell me we aren't related? Is that why he pulled away from me for all these years?}_ Well, unrelated was wrong, and Sugu knew it. She and Kazuto were merely cousins instead of siblings. Ironically, being cousins made her feelings easier. To her, being in love with her cousin was better then in love with her brother. As she pondered this, some men walked into the room, carrying a T.V. between them. The men began to install the T.V. into the wall, and turned it on to the local news station. Sugu stood, about to demand that it be taken away, when Nurse Aki, the women who had been taking care of her Onii-chan walked in. "Sugu, before you get upset, wait. I can see you're mad, but, this T.V. wont always be on the news. We believe that we have found a way to hook up the Nervegear optics to this T.V. If we can, we will be able to see what Kazuto sees, and eventually, hopefully, hear what he hears. While not much, it may help the helplessness you are feeling." At this, the nurse handed her a remote controller. "Channel 6 is the Nervegear. If you want to watch, you can." Sugu stood there, looking at the remote in her hand. Did she want to see what he saw? Did she want to see his final moments? Did she want to risk it? After a few minutes, she decided she didn't care, and turned the television to channel 6. Her first view of Sword Art Online, of the world her Onii-chan lived in, was of pancakes exploding.

* * *

 _ **First Floor: Angora, October 30th, 2022**_

Kirito stood at the base of the Amphitheater with Diabel, watching as the group of people poured in. When they first had arranged one of these meetings, they had 200 people. Most of which went back to 6 man parties, representing the bulk of the Beta Testers, and any people they had dragged along. Now, the stadium like seating held barely 50. Kirito studied the gear and levels of the gathered people, noting which looked powerful, who the shield bearers were, and who would be good as support. One player caught his eye. A little girl, no more then 12, was sitting in the second row. She kept looking around, obviously terrified. As he watched, a couple of guys, including one massive African man sat near her. While Kirito knew the guy to be a softie, the little girl was obviously scared by the giant man. As Agil introduced himself, and the two started talking, the little girl stopped shaking so much, and finally started smiling. As the influx slowed, Kirito thought it best to get started, and took his place in the center of the stage.

"Good Afternoon everyone. My name is Kirito, and while I am not the one who called this meeting, I will be leading it for the one who did. Earlier this morning, Diabel and his party found the boss room." The gathered players gasped at this news, and started mumering among themselves. After almost 2 months, the boss room had been found. "With this information, this meeting has turned from an update, to a strategy meeting. As we speak, Diabel and his party are scouting it out, and planning the best route there. Now, before we continue, everyone break up into groups of 6." As he said this, friends partied together, as well as with those closest. Finally, only 2 other people werent in a party. One was Asuna, who didn't go to a party as she was with Kirito, the other was the small girl from before. Agil had noticed the looks some of the others were giving her, and kept her from joining any of the parties. As the commotion died down, Agil caught Kirito's attention, gesturing to the nervous girl. Kirito understood immediately, glancing at Asuna, as she also got the message, and went to sit beside the girl. After a few moments, the name 'Silica' appeared beneath Asuna's in his party window. "Alright Everyone..." Suddenly, a loud voice from the back of the group sounded: "WAIT!" As Kirito froze, a player with spiky hair started leaping down the Amphitheater, coming to a rest beside Kirito. "There are some here, who need to get on there knees and beg for forgiveness. Who need to give us all of their Items, and plead to be spared, as they are responsible for almost 2,000 deaths." As the one player said this, Diabel walked forward. "What is your name friend?" The spiky haired player scoffed. "I am Kibaou." Diabel smiled at Kibaou. "Now, do you mean the Beta Testers?" Upon hearing the word, Kibaou grew all the more enraged. "YES! They ran off in the very beginning of the game, taking all of the good quests and training spots for themselves." At this statement, Agil raised his hand. "So what you're saying is that the Beta Testers need to give up their loot because they didn't help us new players, correct?" At Kibaou's nod, Agil reached into one of his pockets, withdrawing a book. "This book, which is available for free at every merchant, is a guidebook created by Beta Testers. The combat section, to include several training spots for players below level 5, was written by Kirito, who is standing right there, about to help us defeat the first floor boss. Still think there is no help?" At the end of the rant, Kibaou scoffed again, but sat down, glaring at Kirito all the while.

"Thank you Agil. Now, I will go around and label your parties into three groups. Group one will be focused on keeping the path safe on our way to the boss. Group two will be responsible for fighting Illfang, the boss himself. Finally, group three will be responsible for keeping his defenders, Kobold Sentinels, off of group two. Group three will also be responsible for switching with group two, so we lose as few players as possible. Now, so no one loses out on possible experience. I will invite you to my raid party, which will tally all experience earned at the end of the battle, and divide it equally among all the players. Now, does anyone want to leave, or refuse to take orders from a Beta-Tester?" At this statement, he glared at Kibaou, who sat sullenly with his party. "Very well everyone, we leave in two hours. Go and buy some health potions and anything else you need. We meet here before going to kill Illfang."

As everyone was leaving, Kirito approached Asuna and Silica. Silica, who was hiding behind Asuna, was staring at the black swordsman who was approaching her. "Hi. I'm Kirito. I'm the guy who is going to keep you safe during the raid. Okay sweetie?" Silica nodded at this, and took Kirito's hand. "Why are you all the way out here Silica-chan? Shouldn't you be in Starting Town?" At this question, Silica stared at Kirito for a moment. "I-I want to help. My brothers all said I was useless, and couldn't do anything. So I ran away, and came to the clearing meeting." At this, Kirito smiled. "Alright. Hey, can I call you Shina-chan? I may not be your real brother, but I can be in here." At this, Silica smiled. "Okay, Kirito-kun. I will be your Shina-chan, and you my Onii-chan." Kirito then knelt down, and gave the tiny girl a hug. At the sight, Agil walked over, just as Asuna started smiling. "Thank you Kirito. Some of the other players saw her, and wanted her as fodder so they wouldn't lose friends. I couldn't let that happen, so I saved her for you, since I knew you would protect her." Kirito, still holding the smiling Silica, merely nodded, before glancing at Asuna. Seeing nothing but Joy on her face, Kirito knew he made the right Decision. Now, he just had to find a way to protect them both from Illfang, and from this accursed game.

* * *

At the end of the two hour break, Kirito waited for everyone to arrive. As the last player sat down, Kirito sent out the raid invite. As everyone received the invite, murmuring spread, as everyone wondered why only 48 people were at the stadium, but 56 people were listed on the invite. "Everyone, the missing people are Diabel and his group, as they are waiting in front of the Boss Room for us, so we can all find him. Now, lets head out, and get this floor cleared. Group one, you have 15 minutes to clear the path. Your designated positions have already been marked. Run quickly, and get ready. For as soon as the main party moves out, a spawning event will happen. So be careful. Group two, you will move out last, as group three needs to get into position near the Kobald sentinels so they can hold them back while you engage Illfang. Any last minute questions?" All of the gathered players simply stared. "Let me guess, you are in group 3 Beta?" A voice filled with scorn called out. Kirito knew the voice belonged to Kibaou. "Actually, I am in group 2. I will be holding back the Sentinels so that group 3 can engage Illfang." Attention this Kibaou scoffed. "So you are letting all of us newbies take the hit for you, very clever." Kirito smiled, directing his ire at Kibaou. "You see, had I said yes, you would say that I am taking all three glory for myself. But since I am letting others have the glory, and I am merely supporting, you claim I want to get others killed." All the gathered players looked shocked at the implication, and at Kibaou's lack of a retort, they knew it was spot on. "You are pathetic Kibaou. Looking for any reason to validate you getting better equipment or prestige, no matter the risk or danger it may put others in." Kirito stood. "Now, if there are no more, 'questions', group one, you need to head out. Group three, on me. Group two, make ready. We head for the boss room, and the second floor."

* * *

Diabel stood, watching, as 44 players walked into the Antichamber. Kirito walked up to Diabel, as the rest of the players simply hung their heads, muttering among themselves. "Well lost 4 players from the holding group. Nothing could have been done." Diabel looked shocked. "Are you sure they are dead? Maybe they simply... walked back to town." Kirito shook his head. "Group two saw it happen. They were holding back a wolf pack, only to be jumped from behind. By the time the rest of the holders got around, only 2 players from the party were left." Diabel stared, dumbstruck at the loss of almost 1/10 of there effective fighting force. "Very well." Diabel planted the tip of his sword in the floor, staring at all of the players gathered before him. "Well have made it this far, now I need one more push from you. Group one, you are now part of group two, and will help with the boss. Group three, you enter first, aggroing the Sentinels. Everyone else, rush Illfang. Remember, he switches to a Talwar when his last health bar hits the red, so be careful." Kirito nodded from the side, before kneeling down to face Silica. "Hey honey, when the door opens, I want you to hide behind a pillar, okay? Asuna or I will you when it's over." Silica simply nodded, clutching Kirito's hand in her own. Diabel turned and pushed on the door, revealing what was inside.

As they opened the Door, they walked into a room that was about 20 meters wide, and about 100 meters deep. As they entered, they all disbursed throughout their half of the room. At the end, they noticed a huge Throne that was occupied. Seeing his guests, they thing on the Throne looked up and jumped halfway across the room, landing 40 meters away from the parties, letting out a loud howl. It hadn't occurred to the players to draw their weapons, that is until Diavel ordered them too.

Kirito already had his drawn, as did Asuna. Kirito's Blade glowed a faint red, complimenting the faint blue of Asuna's. Illfang, and his sentinels all engaged in combat. Noticing this, Diabel shouted out commands. "GROUPS ONE AND TWO, CHARGE UP AND ENGAGE ILLFANG, WHILE THREE STAYS BEHIND THEM KEEPING THE SENTINELS BUSY!" He finished his commands.

"Roger!" Kirito said, hearing a few others follow in his foot steps. At this time, Groups One and Two engaged Illfang, While Kirito's group held off the Sentinels. Kirito noticed they were surprisingly easy. Kirito and Asuna used their simple Switch-method. After every Sentinel, Kirito would glance over at Silica, making sure she stayed safe behind the pillars of the room.

Kibaou noticed they didn't need any help, so he said, "You two don't need the help, so keep those bastards off of the rest of us!" he said, taking off to engage Illfang. Kirito was appalled by this, but he hadn't had time to say anything, cause he saw Illfang, lose a bar of health, meaning more Sentinels would be spawning soon.

"Asuna!" he screamed at her, noticing one spawn slightly to her left, he raised his starting blade, and yelled "SWITCH!" and she jumped backwards and out of combat. She simply starred at Kirito with his sword as he made slashes after slashes, making a 4 Hit Combo, on one. Soon after the combo had ended, Kirito jumped backwards avoiding an attack from another one that had spawned. He watched them both shatter, he noticed members of Group Two backing them up. The leader of the group looked back at Kirito at said,

"We got this! You go help that fuck Kibaou!" he said, looking back at the Sentinels.

"Asuna," Kirito started. She jumped to his side and they ran up the corridor, but stopped short to cover their ears.

"AAAOOORRRUUUGG!" Illfang let out a loud roar, and discarded both his Large Bone Axe, and his Leather shield. He reached to the weapon that was strapped to his back and he drew it.

After he drew it, Kirito noticed Diavel say something to everyone else, and Kirito saw him run up to the Lord alone. He activated a Skill and proceeded to attack. Kirito saw in his Blood thirsty Copper eyes, that he saw him approach, because a second after he leaped into the air.

"Tha- Thats not a Talwar! Its a Nodachi!" Kirito let out a gasp and screamed out, "DIABEL!" Kibaou turned back, and noticed Kirito running forward. The look in Kirito's eyes told everyone that he knew what was to come.

Before he could do anything about it, Illfang met hisNodachi to Diavel's chest, striking a lethal blow. Immediately afterwards, everyone started to attackIllfang.

Kirito ran straight for Diabel, and wiped out a Healing Potion. But Diabel's hand stopped Kirito. He looked him in the eyes and Kirito knew.

"The last attacking Bonus?" he started. "You were a Beta Tester too?" he managed.

He only nodded before looking back at the battle. "Do wh-what I coul-dn't. Save- them-" then he shattered in Kirito's arms. Kirito couldn't believe it, but he stood up regardless.

He noticed everyone's reactions about their Leaders death, but they had a job to finish. Grieving would come later. Illfang met his next victim, then his next, until his next one was sprawled out on the floor. Illfangjumped upwards and made for his killing blow, but Kirito placed his sword on his back, activating Vertical Strike, and jumped into the air.

"REACH!" he let out, striking Illfang in the air, sending him into a pillar. The man that was soon to be his next victim, was Agil. Kirito landed on the floor and rolled to his feet and called out for Asuna.

"Just like the Sentinels!" Asuna stared at him, and nodded. Together, the two ran up. Intent on driving the boss into the ground.

Right," she said with no trace of nervousness in her voice. After being stunned, Illfang got up and noticed the two charging them. Illfang sprinted to meet up with them and he swung diagonally at Kirito, to this Kirito parried and yelled,

"SWITCH!" And Asuna took advantage of the Lords opening, landing a 6-hit combo on Illfang, he was sent backwards, shortly after, Kirito switched back in but this time, Kirito was a second too slow, and he was met with a fist to his face, sending him flying backwards into Asuna. Illfang stood above them, preparing for a final strike. Swinging downwards,Illfang's Nodachi was met with Agil's Mace, sending him backwards. "That makes up even!" The taller, darker man said, looking back at Kirito. He extended an hand to him and pulled him to his feet. Kirito saw that everyone had followed Kirito's lead and held them off. "We will hold them off until you have healed!" "Th-ank you," he mustered before he ran off. Kirito quickly drank a potion and stood back up. He noticedIllfang winning my a landslide. He saw a group of players sprawled out on the floor, and everyone else was too far away to help. Kirito yelled before taking off, "WATCH OUT!" Kirito made it in just enough time to parry Illfang, and he was sent backwards. Asuna appeared at his side and took off with him, this time Asuna took the lead. She blocked Illfang's sword, and Kirito saw an opening, and yelled for her to switch out with him. Kirito charged a Vertical Arc, and made contact. His sword started at the bottom, and finished its cut at the nape of Illfang's neck. Then a second later, he shattered, marking the end of the battle. A notification appeared above their heads, that read 'CONGRATULATIONS!'

Suddenly, a clear went up from the gathered players. Shortly after, a message screen popped up, stating that the first floor had been cleared. Player after player walked over, congratulating Kirito and shaking his hand. "WHY?!" Kirito looked behind him, and saw Kibaou glaring at him, Sword still drawn. "You knew. You knew it wasn't a Talwar, yet said nothing. You let Diabel die!" Murmuring spread throughout room. Kirito stood, drawing his sword as well.

"You were a Beta-Tester huh? That's how you knew his attack patterns. You let Diabel die." When Kirito failed to respond, more and more players stood by Kibaou, glaring and drawing there weapons. Asuna and Agil moved between the growing mob and Kirito, prepared to fight there way out, when laughter erupted from behind them. "Me, a beta tester? Don't insult me. Most beta testers couldn't even level, much less kill a boss. I made it all the way to the 12th floor in the two month beta. Everyone in this room is better then the beta testers." All players shared looks of fear, save for Kibaou. "You... you're a cheater, a filthy cheater." Another stood forward. "A beta and a cheater, a damn beater." Hearing the name, Kirito smiled. "Beater, I like that name." Kirito opened his menu, and scrolled until he arrived at his last attack bonus item. After a tap, a cloak of pure darkness, with silver studs draped across his shoulders. "Remember this, don't cross me, or death will be your reward." With this statement, he started to walk towards the mob of players. At his approach, a path opened up, and even Kibaou stepped aside. As Kirito approached the far wall, stairs appeared leading up into the cealing.

"Kirito..." He spun around, and saw Asuna approaching the stairs, a shocked look on her face. " Asuna-sama, if a player is trustworthy, and asks you to join their guild, do so. You can be strong." Kirito opened his party member, and his finger hovered over the dissolve button. "KIRITO!" A brown blur slammed into him, making him lose his balance. When he looked down, he saw Silica, tears streaming down her face. "You're not going to leave me right? You promised to protect me." As he watched, the little girl sunk her face into his cloak. He glanced at Asuna, and saw her crying as well, but worst then that, he saw fear. Fear of this game, and of him leaving. After several moments, he glanced at the little girl in his arms. "It's alright, Silica-chan, where ever I go, you can come too." He glanced up at Asuna, the unspoken question easily answered. "Of course I'm coming too." Agil stepped forward, along with seven others. "Kirito, you saved our lives. No matter what else happened, we will follow you too." Then, as one, Agil, Asuna, and the Seven other players drew there weapons, and formed a semi-circle protecting Kirito.

Kirito looked on, unable to move or speak. He had intended on everyone hating him, so at least other beta testers wouldn't be. Yet now, he had a group of players supporting him, and protecting him. Silica then stood, and reached her hand out. "Come on Kirito, we won't stay with these meanies." Kirito smiled, and took her hand, standing up. "While not what I intended, I think the message is clear. Stay away from us." With that, he grabbed Asuna with his left, and held Silica with his right, and marched up the stairs, heading towards the next floor, and their freedom.

* * *

 **AN: Hey all. So, here is chapter 4. I had a day off of work, and access to a computer, so this chapter kinda just... yeah. Let me know if you like this length, other wise I'll go back to the 1,000 word chapters. On another note, Silica managed to worm her way into Kirito's heart. Is this foreshadowing a date similar to Sachi, or will she survive until the end. Read on and find out. As always, please review and let me know if you liked this chapter.**


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